cadet blogs

It’s strange to think that it is almost over. I know I will miss this place (or at least the people) when I am at my next unit, but for now I am just really, really excited to be graduating.

I was sitting at dinner, talking with a 2/c cadet about graduating and they asked me if I felt ready to be an Ensign. I said yes. And while that might sound pretentious, if after four years of training to be an officer I was not ready, I think that would be something to worry about.

There is a common misconception that you need to enter this place as an officer. When I first was accepted to the Academy, my greatest fear (aside from the lack of sleep) was that I was not ready to be an officer. My father informed me that you come to the Academy because they see potential for you to become the most junior of junior officers after four years. For those of you who are questioning if the Academy is the place you want to go to and are questioning if you are able to become an officer, remember you don’t enter these gates as an officer. It takes four years, and if you have put in the effort, you are prepared to leave as one.

This phase of my life is ending and I know it has made me into a stronger, more confident person. The kind of person I wanted to be when I reported in. And as strange as it is for it to be ending, it is really exciting to be able to look both back on the past four years, and forward to the many that lie ahead. t